Shazam! Trivia
Trivia about Shazam! *The seventh film in the DC Extended Universe. *Artist C.C.Beck based the original Captain Marvel character design on Fred MacMurray, who was, at the time, the #1 male box-office star. *Dwayne Johnson was originally considering taking the role of Captain Marvel. However, he was approached by comic books fans who explained the villain, Black Adam, to him in an attempt to persuade him to take that role instead. The combination of the fans' request and the fact that the character seemed more interesting prompted Johnson to take that role instead. *This movie underwent a series of rewrites that included scripts written by writers such as William Goldman, Bryan Goluboff, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow and John August. *Dwayne Johnson was in talks for Black Adam in the Peter Segal Shazam movie, but it never got off the ground. Since Dwayne Johnson stated on his twitter account that when he was a kid his two favorite superheroes were Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Black Adam. *Peter Segal was attached to direct in the early 2000s. *Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam in this feature) had starred alongside Arnold Vosloo (Black Adam in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam) in "The Mummy" films, where both had played magically empowered antagonists. *Lou Ferrigno Jr., Derek Theler, Patrick Warburton and Brandon Molale have all been considered by fans as possible candidates for Billy Batson/Captain Marvel. *This movie underwent a series of rewrites that included scripts written by writers such as William Goldman, Bryan Goluboff, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow and John August. *Micky Dolenz, of the Monkees, was being considered to play Uncle Dudley. Jackie Earle Haley was a fan favorite to be cast as Dr Sivana. Jim Belushi was under consideration for Mr Tawny. Virginia Gardner, Hunter King, and Tori Anderson were candidates to play Beautia. *Alan Alda, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Keaton and Tony Shalhoub are being considered to play the wizard Shazam. *Dwayne Johnson wanted Armie Hammer to play Shazam. *Jake McDorman, Parker Young, Joshua Sasse, Derek Theler and John Cena were the front runners for Shazam before the part went to Zachary Levi. *Virginia Gardner, Hunter King and Tori Anderson were candidates to play Beautia Sivana, Dr Sivana's daughter from the comics, but the character was eventually cut out of the film. *Zachary Levi debuted his buffed-up Shazam physique on 13th April 2018 (almost a year before the release of the film) by posting a shirtless picture of himself on his social media accounts, showing him working out in the gym with a barbell weight. Levi had been teasing his physical transformation for months by posting videos and images of his workouts through his friend and training partner Eric Blackmon, including pictures that showed him flexing his biceps. The shirtless image post by Levi was largely perceived as an attempt to silence his critics online who had been speculating that he did not get in shape for the role after leaked set images showed him in the Shazam super-suit that some fans noticed to be clearly padded. Levi did not quash the rumors but did receive a compliment from fellow DC franchise star Henry Cavill, who is rumored to appear in the film. Cavill, no stranger to posting shirtless selfies himself, wrote "Looking fantastic sir. Bloody nice work!" However some have pointed out that in the photos of Levi flexing he is quite clearly pressing his bicep to his side to make it look bigger than it is. *Sam Raimi has expressed interest in directing the film. *Early in development the film was titled "Billy Batson & The Legend of Shazam". Rumored working titles include "World's Mightiest Mortal", "Shazam: One Magic Word", "Champion of Shazam", and "Black Adam: Curse of Shazam". *This film marked the second collaboration between Grace Fulton and David F. Sandberg. The first was Annabelle: Creation. *Ron Cephas Jones was initially cast in the role of the Wizard, but scheduling conflicts led to him leaving the film and being replaced by Djimon Hounsou. Notably, this news only broke months later during post-production, in contrast to the many reports of on-set dramas for previous DCEU films. *The development of a Shazam movie started in 2000 with New Line Cinema, producer Peter Safran, and screenwriter John August working on the project, but went nowhere for several years. New Line Cinema was eventually bought by Warner Bros., and August left the production when film executives requested that the movie be made darker due to the success of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008). From there, the project shifted development from a movie to a television series in 2013 - but Segal stated that, at that point, the adaptation was unlikely to happen. The film was saved in 2014 when DC announced plans to adapt the character to film, and was confirmed to be in development later in the year. David F. Sandberg was eventually announced to helm the film in July 2017. *Composer Benjamin Wallfisch cites the music of John Williams and scores from 1980s Amblin Entertainment films as inspirations for Shazam!, to match the tone of a film about "an old-school superhero from the Golden Age." Wallfisch, in his own words, "pictured what might happen if a 14-year-old was put in front of a 100 piece orchestra and told there were no limits. I wanted the score to feel like it might have been written by an exuberant kid just having the time of his life with an orchestra." *Outside of a brief dream sequence cameo in The Drew Carey Show: Drew's in a Coma (2001), this film marks the first live action appearance of the Shazam/Captain Marvel character since the Legends of the Superheroes (1979) series in 1979. *Comic book writer, Geoff Johns, who is one of the executive producers of the film, is also the one who wrote the Shazam! New 52 comics whose material that this film is largely based upon. *When Eugene opens a door, on the other side is nothing but mist, from which a tentacle reaches out to grab him. The tentacle looks similar to those appearing in the Stephen King film The Mist (2007). *Djimon Hounsou has supporting roles in both Shazam! (2019) and Captain Marvel (2019). *The film's working title was "Franklin", after American statesman Benjamin Franklin who was a resident of Philadelphia (where the film is set). *Producer Peter Safran's wife Natalia Safran plays the wife of Thadeus Sivana's father, and his daughter Lou Lou Safran plays Thadeus Sivana's twin sisters. 21 of 41 found this interesting | Share this Lotta Losten, who plays Dr. Lynn Crosby, is married to director David F. Sandberg. *Jim Belushi was considered to play Mr. Tawny. *John Glover as Mr. Sivana says the line, "Somebody save me!". Glover used to play Lex Luthor's father, Lionel Luthor, on the TV series Smallville (2001) whose opening theme song was "Save Me." *At the Vasquez foster home, there is a bunny toy Darla collects and in the kitchen there is a silver bunny towel rack and a bunny picture beside the breadbox. These are a homage to Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, a magical bunny who is Captain Marvel's ally in the comics. *In Freddy Freeman's room you can see old newspaper clippings plastered on his wall. One Daily Planet article headline reads "CAPED WONDER STUNS CITY". This is a direct homage to Richard Donner's original Superman the Movie after Superman's first night of rescues Perry reads out all of the papers headlines. The other papers from that scene: The Post: "IT FLIES!" The News: "LOOK MA - NO WIRES!" The Times: "BLUE BOMB BUZZES METROPOLIS". *Darla's last name is Dudley. In the comics Captain Marvel had an ally named Dudley H Dudley (in some versions he was an honorary uncle to the Marvel Family, and in other versions he was just a supporting character). *The bumper sticker on the Vasquez' van reads "I'm a foster mom. What's your superpower?" *At one point adult Billy/Shazam sarcastically says to Doctor Sivana "Gee Whiz, mister!" Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel) first appeared in Whiz comics in 1940. *The "S" symbol, representing the Sivana family company, is highly reminiscent of a nazi swastika. Obviously, this was done to associate negative feelings toward Sivana and his family. Interestingly, it's placement could also evoke sympathy for Sivana himself (as his father acted the ruthless dictator to him, while his brother "followed orders" of example from their father. *Asher Angel Plays Billy Batson who transforms into an adult, played by Zachary Levi. Asher stars alongside Joshua Rush in Andi Mack (2017), and Joshua played the younger version of Zachary Levi's character Chuck in Chuck (2007). *On E.B. Glover's desk there is a collection of smiley faces. This is a nod to the DC limited comic series; "Watchmen," and may also be a plug for Watchmen. *This is the second role for Mark Strong in a DC film. He previously played Sinestro in Green Lantern. *As mentioned by the Wizard, SHAZAM is an acronym formed from the names of the gods that grant powers: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. Of these six gods forming Shazam's name, only two are actually Gods - Zeus (Greek) and Mercury (Roman). Solomon is a mortal King from the Bible (who was also known in legend as a king of magic and knowledge), Hercules and Achilles were demigods (half-human half-god), and Atlas was a Titan. *Near the abandoned warehouse where Freddy trains Billy and records his powers, a factory with the sign "Ace Chemicals" is in the background. That's the factory where the Joker was born. (Batman renamed the factory Axis Chemicals.) *Originally, this was going to be one film with Shazam and Black Adam meeting and clashing, but the producers decided to split the film into two origin films for both characters, with Black Adam being its own story set in Ancient Egypt with other heroes. However, Black Adam is mentioned in the film as an ancient champion the Wizard had chosen, who went bad. *During the fight in the toy store, Shazam and Dr Sivana run across a giant keyboard. This is a reference to Big (1988) which, like this film, features a boy turning into an adult overnight and a group of people walking on a keyboard. *When Freddy is showing Billy his room you can see a book beside his Batarang. The title appears to be "The Bird and the Bat: the impact of superheroes on society and its future". The cover shows a silhouette of Superman hovering. One would assume this was written after the events of BVS but possibly before the events of Justice League. *In one scene, characters are buying beer with the name Bärs Lager. The word "bärs" (roughly pronounced "behrsh") is Swedish slang for "beer", much like "brewski" in American. This is likely an Easter egg from Swedish director David F. Sandberg. *In the film, Dr. Sivana inserts the Orb of Sin into his eye, which gives him magical powers. In the New 52 DC comics, he got his eye struck by magic lightning which enables him to see magic. *Billy is transported to see the Wizard during a subway ride. This is similar to the way it happened in the DC animated short, Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010) and most of his origin stories over the decades. *Billy Batson was born in Zumbrota, Minnesota, the birthplace of Captain Marvel's original artist C.C. Beck. *When Shazam throws Batman in the toy store you can see Cyborg and Wonder Woman on the shelf along with Batman and Superman toys, hinting again that this story takes place in the current DC universe. *Darla's last name is Dudley. In the comics Captain Marvel had an ally named Dudley H Dudley (in some versions he was an honorary uncle to the Marvel Family, and in other versions he was just a supporting character). *In Freddy Freeman's room you can see old newspaper clippings plastered on his wall. One Daily Planet article headline reads "CAPED WONDER STUNS CITY". This is a direct homage to Richard Donner's original Superman the Movie after Superman's first night of rescues Perry reads out all of the papers headlines. The other papers from that scene: The Post: "IT FLIES!" The News: "LOOK MA - NO WIRES!" The Times: "BLUE BOMB BUZZES METROPOLIS". *At the Vasquez foster home, there is a bunny toy Darla collects and in the kitchen there is a silver bunny towel rack and a bunny picture beside the breadbox. These are a homage to Hoppy the Marvel Bunny, a magical bunny who is Captain Marvel's ally in the comics. *In one scene, two characters are seen playing a Mortal Kombat video game. The character of Shazam! (under his original name, Captain Marvel) previously appeared in a "Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe" video game. *The Shazam character, originally Fawcett Comic's Captain Marvel, came under scrutiny and the lawsuit brought regarding the copyright infringement of Superman eventually forced Fawcett Publications to abandon their comic book franchises. Captain Marvel lived in Fawcett City, and his alter-ego Billy, named after Fawcett founder Captain Billy Fawcett, was a blatant knock-off, the description being: Superman, except he turns into a kid instead of an adult. *When Freddy is posting videos of Shazam's super power demos, one of the names he gives him is ZAP-tain America. That's a subtle nod to Captain America (and therefore Marvel Comics) existing in their universe. *Director Cameo - David F. Sandberg: Appears as all three Crocodile-Men (with assistance from puppeteers; Neil Morrill and Steve Newburn). He also provides the voice of Mister Mind. *The colours of the jackets worn by the foster kids throughout the movie correspond to the colours of the super suits they eventually wear when they become the Shazam Family. *You can see Mister Mind when young Thaddeus Sivana enters the Rock of Eternity in a glass display. He can be seen again when adult Sivana reaches the Rock; however when Billy enters the Rock of Eternity the dome is broken and Mr. Mind is gone. The mid-credits-scene then confirms that during the battle between Sivana and the Wizard Mr Mind was able to make his escape. *Superman's cameo at the end was always planned to happen, and Henry Cavill actually wanted to reprise his role as Superman for the scene. However, the school location was only available for filming for a brief period when Cavill was working on other projects, so they settled for a stand-in who was filmed from the neck down while wearing the costume. Director David F. Sandberg later stated that the scene worked out much funnier this way. *Freddy Freeman, known in the comics as Captain Marvel Jr, was music icon Elvis Presley's favourite comic book hero. Presley kept a comic book collection of Captain Marvel Jr comic books, and styled his hair/outfits on Marvel Jr. *In a homage, when Freddy gains his superhero form it has a Elvis-style pompadour haircut. *As a boy, when Thad sees the demon orb, it is reflected in the right eyeglass lens - a foreshadowing of where the orb nests itself when he returns as an adult. *This is the seventh DC Universe film, and the number 7 plays a major theme throughout the film. **There were seven wizards, of whom Shazam is the last one **There are Seven Deadly Sins in the film **The incantation to get to the Rock of Eternity are seven symbols, repeated seven times **Freddy wants a house with seven rooms **Marilyn Batson lives in apartment 707 on the seventh floor of her apartment building **There are seven champions in the film: Shazam, his five siblings (the Marvel Family), and the former champion Black Adam **Mister Mind mentions the Seven Realms to Dr. Sivana. *When Super Hero Eugene fires off a bolt at one of the deadly sins, he says "Hadoken!". Hadoken is a special attack in the Street Fighter video game series that fires an energy surge at your opponent (most notably used by characters Ken and Ryu). *This film draws much of its inspiration the "New 52" DC Shazam comics: **Captain Marvel is primarily known by the name Shazam **Billy Batson is in a multi-ethnic foster family **the story is set in Philadelphia **his sister Mary is not a direct relation but a foster-sibling **Freddy Freeman is disabled **the Wizard is the last of a council, and before dying passes his power onto Billy **Billy is chosen for being the best the Wizard could find **Billy is pursued by a rival candidate previously chosen by the Wizard **Billy eventually shares his powers with his siblings, creating the Marvel Family **Dr. Sivana allies himself with Mr. Mind at the end. *Zachary Levi doesn't appear on screen until 35 minutes into the movie. *Doctor Thaddeus Sivana is based on his original comic incarnation (a scientist and industrialist enemy of Captain Marvel), but also has traits from Shazam villains Black Adam (a former champion who became evil) and Sabbac (a villain empowered by entities of evil). *The mid-credits scene features Sivana scrawling symbols on the walls of his prison cell. In the original "Captain Marvel" comics, Dr. Sivana was able to escape from jail using a magical mathematical formula that allows him to walk through solid material upon reciting it. *Adam Brody and D.J. Cotrona, who play the superhero forms of Freddy and Pedro, were previously selected to star in a Justice League movie by George Miller in 2007 (not to be confused with Justice League (2017), with Brody as the Flash and Cotrona as Superman. *When Dr Sivana is in prison writing the incantation to get to the Rock of Eternity, he uses the phrases "Sun of Ra", "Ouroboros" and "Solomon's knot". These are mythical concepts described as follows: the Eye of Ra comes from Egyptian mythology and represents the power of the sun god Ra the Ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, comes from Egyptian mythology too: it represents the snake god Mehen and the cycle of time Solomon's Knot is a symbol of Solomon and his wisdom. *Dr. Sivana has the demon Envy deeply embedded in his body, being the sin he is most associated with. Envy is portrayed as a short, hunched-over bald figure with a large head, large eyes and nasty teeth; this was Sivana's classic look in the comics. Category:Shazam! Category:Trivia